Norwegian oceantech company Resqunit A/S, which maintains an office in Halifax via subsidiary Resqunit Canada Inc., has announced a “breakthrough order” from Shippagan, New Brunswick-based Entreprises Shippagan — a major wholesaler for the aquaculture, fishing and broader marine industries.

The purchase order includes more than 30,000 units of Resqunit’s flagship product, a floatation device that can be attached to lobster traps to prevent them from being lost during use.

“An order of this size puts the company in a position where we can achieve mass production at a volume much higher and much sooner than anticipated,” wrote Resqunit CEO Helge Trettø Olsen in a blog post.

“In addition this brings the desired validation and recognition to strengthen our position as we proceed in the expansion of our network of distributors worldwide.”

Enterprises Shippagan was founded in 1977 and supplies buyers across Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Maine and elsewhere in the United States. Resqunit said in a press release the wholesaler represents a total addressable market of about 10 million units for Resqunit products. 

The 30,000-unit order will give Enterprises Shippagan enough reserve buoys, as Resqunit has dubbed its device, for use on 3.2 million lobster traps. Resqunit’s net revenue from the order will be the equivalent of about C$1.25 million, with deliveries starting in the fourth quarter of this year.

Resqunit, founded in 2017, aims to fix the global problem of “ghost fishing gear” — lobster traps, crab pots and other, similar equipment lost on the ocean floor. The lost traps continue to ensnare marine life, harming the local ecology and depleting fish stocks. And when the ghost gear eventually breaks down, it contributes to increasing levels of micro-plastics in the world’s oceans.